Swivel pipe coupling



Jan. 12, 1965 A. FAccou SWIVEL PIPE COUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIJIJ Filed May 25. 1961 INVENTOR ARMANI) L. FACCOU 28 F'II3 1 M 0 \-mw. wammw. .\vf/m A N N W$W (M M V\\ O f H M T w ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1965 A. L. FACCOU 3,165,339

SWIVELPIPE COUPLING Filed May 25. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 5 78 F1 B l:'5 6 914 m 42b III/III)?! bl 66 ARMANI) L. FAOCOU ATTORNEY through the coupling increases.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose type swivel couplingthat maintains.

United States Patent 3,165,339 SWIVEL PEE COUPLING Armand L. Faccou, Santa Ana, Calif assignor, by mesne assignments, to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 25, 1961, Ser. No. 112,683 4 Claims. (Cl. 285263) This invention relates generally to pipe or tube cou plings, and more particularly relates to a ball and socket swivel type coupling for connecting pipes or tubes (to be referred to as pipes) in a manner permitting relative angular motion of the connected pipes.

The swivel coupling of this invention is of the ball and socket type wherein a ball member on one pipe swivels within a socket on the other pipe and means are provided for coupling the members together'while accommodating swivel action. The coupling of the invention is particularly effective for the leak-free conduction of fluids at extremely low temperatures. For example, the coupling provides leak-free conduction of liquid oxygen and other liquefied gases at temperatures in the order of minus 300 F. (l85 C.). The coupling of V the invention is also useful for conduction of low temperature refrigerants. One form of the invention is suited both for conducting gases at sub-atmospheric pressures, and for conducting fluids at elevated temperatures.

One object of the present invention is to provide a swivel pipe couplingthat can be flexed while maintaining an effective fluidseal at extremely low temperatures. In the coupling of the present invention the fluid seal actually improves as the temperature of the fluid passing through the coupling decreases.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swivelpipe coupli'ng'that provides an initial mechanical seal that is augmented by a progressively more eflective fluid pressure seal, as the pressure of the fluid passing an effective sealat both very low temperatures and at elevated temperatures, and will provide leak-free operation at both positive and negative internal pressures. v A further object of the present invention is to provide a swivel coupling which will retain its flexibility and main-. win its sealing action while under either axial or radial loading, or both, and under a variety of temperature pressure conditions. y 7

Another object of "the invention is to provide a swivel coupling that facilitates precise mechanical fitting during initial'assembly, and which-will retain such precise fitting upon subsequent disassembly and reassembly. I

Another object of one form of the invention is to provide a full area clamping ring. for clamping the flexible sealing ring of the swivel joint against the socket member, that'does not require provision of tapped holes in the socket member. 1

' A furthero'bjeot is to provide a readily adjustable stop or spacer assembly between the ball member and a bearing ring that engages the socket member, that can be finally adjusted without trial and error assembly and disassembly of the member's.

3,165,339 Patented Jan. 12, 1965 1 ice FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken at 22 of FIG. 1' and drawn to a reduced scale.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a modified embodiment of the coupling shown in FIG. 1, which will be referred to as a multi-purpose type coupling.

FIG. 4 is an isometric of the sealing ring indicating the linear contraction of the sealing ring in three planes.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of another form of the coupling of the invention, with parts broken away.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on lines 66 of FIG. 5, and drawn to a larger scale.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken on lines 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section showing the sealing ring mounting of FIG. 6 on an enlarged scale.

As seen in FIG. 1, the coupling 10 is of the ball and socket type. The major elements of the coupling 10 include a hollow metal ball member 12 which in the form of the invention of FIG. 1 is welded to a conduit portion 11 which may be either a length of pipe, or a nipple formed for connection to a length of pipe in the usual manner. The ball member 12 is formed to provide an external spherical seat 14. Surrounding the ball member 12 is a metal socket member 16 connected to a pipe or nipple portion 17, and formed to provide a spherical internal seat 18 that faces seat 14 on ball member'12. A

flexible sealing ring indicated generally at 20, is mountedv on the socket member 16 and extends between seat 18 of the socket member and seat 14of the ball member. The coupling parts just described are coupled together by a coupling ring assembly indicated generally at 22, a spacer sleeve 24, and bolts and nuts 26, 27 that connect the coupling ring assembly 22 to a radial flange 28 that is integral with ball member 12.

The major elements just referred to will now be described in detail.

The sealing ring 20 is molded of a flexible plastic material having a low coefficient of friction, the nature of the material of the sealing ring will be described in more detail presently. The sealing ring 20 includes a flared rim or mounting flange 30 that is clamped against the beveled end face 32 of the socket member 16 by a clamping ring 34 and bolts 36. Clamping ring 34 has a beveled or conical face'38 that is complementary to the beveled the mounting flange'30fof the sealing ring in fluid-tight Another object is to provide a spacer assembly between i the ball member and a bearing ring that engages thesocket member, which assembly is strong, light in weight and that can be individually mounted on the ball member of the swivel joint;

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

- FIG. -1 is a longitudinal axial section of the coupling I of the presentinvention'.

assembly. The serrations also prevent cold flow of the .elastomeric material of the sealing ring under clamping pressure. The sealing ring 20 includes also a sealing lip 46 that extends between and conforms to the ball mom her seat 14 and the socket 'rri emberseat 18.

In order-to provide for swiveled, detachable coupling of the ball and socket members together with the sealing ring, the socket-member'16 is formed with an outer spherical seat 42. The coupling ringassembly 22, previously referred to, includes a split bearing ring indicated generally at 44, that is formed of identical semicircular halves 44a and 441), as seen in FIG. 2.

The base of groove 46 is of spherical-shape and an annular-.anti-friction bearing, or liner 50 is seated in the groove. Bearing 50 is formed of a plastic material having a low coefficient of friction, such as the type of material of which the sealing ring 2t} is formed. The thickness of bearing 50 is such that it projects past the edges bled aboutthe spherical seat 42 of the socket member 16 without access to the free end of the pipe 17 that is con- The radially i inner faceof the split bearing ring 44 is. grooved at 456.

. s j nected to the socket membsn, In those cases invwhich the bearing ring is split, thebearing 50'that fits thereon is also split. In order to retain the halves 44a and 44b of the split bearing ring Mas an annulusa retainer ring '52 is provided that has an inner diameter large enough for-theretainer ring to slip over the end of the socket 'rnember 16 before the coupling parts are assembled. Re-

tainer ring 52 makes a slip fit with an annular seat 54 formed onthe split bearing ring 44, and so converts halves 44a and 44b of the split bearing ring 44 into a functionally unitary annulus.

In assembling the coupling, it is necessary. that the coupling ring assembly 22, including the bearing Elk-be i broguht into axial alignment with the ball member 11in order to center the socket member 16 with the ball 'memon the retainer ring 52 and on the flange Ztrthat bound order to axially locate the bearing ring 44 relatively to the ball -member 12. This axial location determines the closeness of the fit between the major coupling elements,

i the aforesaid annular seats 56 and 58, respectively in and because of manufacturing and molding tolerances -provided, the parts are made for a selective fit at final assembly. This is accomplished by providing shims 6%) between the bearing ring 44 and the retainer ring 52. The thickness of the shims or shim pack 68 is determined by assembly, testing, disassembly and shim adjustment.

However, once the proper fit has been achieved, it will be retained upon subsequent disassembly andreassembly'of the coupling because the fit of the retainer ring with the bearing ring is such that the retainer ring 52 remains in" place on the bearing ring 44, thereby keeping the shims 66 in place. V

The sealing ring 2t? is formed of a pliable and resilient arrows-at a,

plasticmaterial which has a high coefiicient of thermal i expansion relative to metals such-as steel. Thematerial will undergo considerable volumetric contraction at lowv C.). not seriously weakened at high temperaturesfof several hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The material also has a low coefiicient of friction. A plastic material that meets these requirements is a trifiuorchloroethylenepolymer having the trade name TKel-Ff The material hasahigh tensile strength and thecoefiicient of thermal expansion the ball member seat 14, describedabove. i 1

lcontour asthat of, the seat 14 of the ball member, the

mean circumference of the lipis'somewhat smaller than the meancircumference at the-mid-radius R-(FIG. 1)

' at which the sealing lip operates Thus on assembly, lip of the flexible sealing ring fzti is initially brought into mechanical sealing engagement ;Wlth'tl16 seat 14st ball member 12 because of the stretching of the lip 40 upon assembly. As pressure builds up within: the coupling, fluid is prevented from leaking between the end face 32 of socket member 16 and the sealing ring by the clamped joint between flange 300i the sealing ring and the end face 32 offsocket member lfi. As pressure builds up within the coupling, fluid is'trapped betweentlipt iiijof the sealingring andsocket member seat 18, which progress'ively augments the previously established mechanical seal between the flexible lip and the ball'member seat 14. Thus, solong as a good initial contact ismaintained between the flexible lip 40 and the ball memberseat 14, the

' higlierthe pressure developed within the coupling, the

more powerful is the hydraulic or fluid sealing force estab-' lished between the aforesaid'parts. v a V With the above considerations'in mind, it can be'seen that it is important to maintain an initial mechanical seal when the coupling isoperatedunder conditionswherein fluid pressure builds up within the coupling while the parts are being subjected to progressively lower temperatures. The coupling ofethe present" invention accomr plishes this; Reference is made to FIG; 4.' Contraction of the plastic} sealing member at low temperatures is volumetric, andhence the linear: components; o f such contractionfall in three planesl- There-is a reduction in the-thickness of the sealing 20 ,indicat'ed by the but not onlyisthis contraction negligible,

it hasno eitecton theinitial mechanical-s'ealnor on the 4 fluid-augmented sealing actionbet'ween the; lip 40 and ,There is also a reduction ingthevradial dimension, '01

width of the annularjsealingring ZtLIindicated at arrow 1 V b. This'change in dimension likewise has no effect on .the' initial mechanical seal nor on the fluid-augmented sealing action. 1 However, there: is a third contraction which does-have an important/effect on the sealing action.

7 This is the circumferentialcontraction or the lip 40 of a the sealing ring, indicated at arrow cfin 1 16454; The

circumferential; contraction effect causes'f the lip :40 ,of the sealing ring to constrict about the ball member seat 1 4 and hence maintainsi -the; initial mechanical seal that I f is necessary for a tluid-augmentedseal tofprogressively develop. as .fiuid'pressure increases inthehighly cooled flexible at lower temperatures, is, a tetrafiuoroethylene polymer having the trade name Teflon? The coefiicient' of thermal" expansion ofthis material is in. the range ofv coupling, This circumferential contraction, or constricv tion may be termed the sheep? effectof the sealing lip 46 Some examples of,theimagnitude of this 'hoop effect with the sealing ring materials previously described will, 7

s be given. Assume'that liquid oxygen is to be conducted or erties thatm'akeit suitable'for use as a sealing. ring, is'a I i chlorinated polyether polymer having the trade name PentonP This plasticrhasf a high tensile strength r pmina'lo internal'diameter pipe. 'Thdifferentialex 1 pansion eifects betweentheplastic material of the seal- 1 in"; ring and the steel of the coupling ball memberfare and socket, members. The coeflicient of thermal expant The, sealing ring 20 is molded to approximately the shape shown in-the drawings. -However, the sealing ,lip [40 is molded toa slightly smaller diameter'than-the gdi :ameterof the complemnetary portion of the ball member.

seat 14, to provide an initial"constrictiveforcerand me f chanicaljseal with'thetball'seat when assembly of the conpling is completed,.andbefore fluid pressure is'appli'e'di- The' manner in which thecoupling of FIGS. 1' and: 2

seals underpositiveinternal pressure and 'at;lo'w tempera-.- l i tureswill now be e'xplained; As mentioned, the sealing ring is molded so that although the'lip. 40. has the same such' that the sealing ring' will. tendtc shrinkQ-acertain amount circumferentially as thefcoupling i s'c'ooledm,However, the :Stfifil" ball member will prevent such shrinkage, so that the sealing ring will' b e correspondingly stretched upon cooling, 5

Table I gives the;physical"data of'thetcouplingi this'rega'rdyand-"in the'examples'i to be ,given;:it will be assumed that the: coupling is designed to operateover a temperature range ,of fron 'l lf C. (?"F.) to l8'5 I C.; (-3Q'0 R); In molding the sealingbring, its mean circumference} must be :s'uchwhatgthe' jhoopgeifect ati 7 1 C.l (140 is :adequateto establish an "initial mechanical seal; As .a typical example it has been foundthat" if the sealing lip molded to a circumferencesuch that 'it expands enough to just fitthe ballfmeniben-at 8 2jC. F.t),zit willtc ontract-sufiicientlyatYFTIT'CI a 140 F.) to provideian adequate initialin'eehanical seali For design considerations, this gives a temperature range of 267 C. (460 F.) when handling liquid oxygen.

Table I Nominal pipe diameter 6". Mean radius sealing ring 4". Mean length sealing ring 2S". Thickness of sealing ring Width of sealing lip 1". Cross sectional area sealing lip sq. in. Temperature range (from +82 C.

to -185 C.) 267 C. (460 B).

Table II Diff. Modulus Coefficient Shrink- Shrinkof Elasti- Hoop Expansion 1 age in age, city 2 Force, (Contraction) Inches Inches (Tension), Pounds 33.4/100 26. 4/100 290 sass are: a ,66I7/100 5917/100 5 X 12 53. 4/100 46.4/100 1. 6 x 10 t. 278 D 10. 5 x 10 o 7/100 .A-Kel-F; BTeiion; O-Penton; DStee1 (material of the bal fi g iinensionless coefficient, given in terms of inches of contraction (or expansion) per inch of length of the sample.

2 Given in terms of inches of deflection per inch of length of the sample.

The shrinkages given are circumferential.

Table II gives the constrictive force, or hoop effect in pounds for the three sealing ring materials mentioned over the temperature range referred to. Table II makes it clear that the initial mechanical sealing engagement between the sealing ring lip'and the ball member will be maintained as the temperature drops. As fluid pressure in the coupling builds up, the fluid seal will not be lost, but will be augmented by the pressure of the fluid against lip 40, as previously described. 7

As to the hoop effect at the upper operating temperature of 71 C. (140 F.) previously given by way of example, since this represents a temperature range of 11 C. as compared to the total range of 267 C., the hoop effect at 71 C. (140 F.) will be about that at l85 C. given in Table II. This is enough to provide the required initial mechanical seal. FIG. 3 illustrates a modified coupling 10a which can be termed a multi-purpose coupling, because although it is primarily intended for use under conditions of subatmospheric internal pressures or at elevated temperatures, it is also as effective at low temperatures and at high internal pressures as is the coupling 100i FIG. 1.

When the coupling 10 of FIG. 1 forms part of a vacuum line, as fluid pressure within the line is'lowered during the period that the vacuum is being established, the atmosphere tends to flow into the coupling between the sealing lip 40 and ball member seat 14, and there is no counter fluid pressure sealing force developed between the sealing lip 40 and socket member seat 18 that exceeds the atmospheric pressure, as was the case when the interiorof the coupling was subjected to a positive pressure.

Similarly, if the temperature of the coupling of FIG. 1 is increased by hot fluids passing through the coupling, the differential expansion rate between the plastic sealing member 20 and the metal ball member 12, instead of working to augment the initial mechanical seal as when the temperature was lowered, now works to reduce the effectiveness of such seal. The coupling of FIG. 3 compensates for both of these effects.

In the form of FIG. 3 socket member 16a is formed with an axially extending annular groove 62. Slidably mounted in the groove 62 is a pressure ring 64 which is resiliently pressed against the lip 40 of the sealing ring 20 by means of a series of springs 65. The springs are fitted in circumferentially spaced blind holes in the socket member 16a. As in the form of FIG. 1, the sealing ring 6 20 is molded to provide an initial mechanical seal with the ball member.

As mentioned, the coupling of FIG. 3 is a multipurpose coupling in that it is not only effective against leakage as the coupling temperature is lowered, but it is effective when the temperature is elevated above the design point for the hoop effect, such as the 71 C. temperature previously mentioned. The coupling also seals when the coupling is in a vacuum line. As to vacuum operation, the maximum pressure differential to which the joint is apt to be subjected is 15 p.s.i. and the sealing action between lip 40 of the sealing ring and seat 14 of the ball member is effectively maintained by the spring loaded ring 64, at this relatively low external pressure.

The situation is somewhat different under elevated temperature operation, but even so the seal of the multipurpose coupling of FIG. 3 is effective. As has been previously mentioned, the differential thermal expansion rate that exists between the plastic sealing ring 20 and the metal ball member 12, works to an advantage at low temperatures, by augmentingthe mechanical seal or hoop effect, but reduces the hoop effect as the temperature is elevated. It has been described, by way of example, how a sealing ring can be molded to provide an adequate mechanical seal at.7l C. (140 FL). The pressure ring 64 maintains the required initial mechanical seal necessary to set up a fluid-augmented seal as pressure rises within the coupling, even though the temperature rises above the design point of 71 C. Thus the coupling of FIG. 3 will not leak so long as it is not continuously subjected to elevated temperatures that destroy or seriously soften the sealing ring 20. The sealing ring materials previously described have excellent temperature resistant properties. For example, the upper temperature limit for Kel-F is 390 F. (190 C.); that for Teflon is 550 F. (228 C.); and that for Penton is 290 F. (143. C.).

When operating at very low temperatures, where the plastic sealing ring stiffens, the effectiveness of the pressure ring 64 in establishing an initial mechanical seal is somewhat reduced. However, this is immaterial because,

' as indicated in Table ILthe contraction effect comes into play, and this exerts a powerful, effective mechanical sealing action or hoop effect. 1

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate another form 10b of the swivel coupling of the invention, wherein a different sealing ring mounting is employed that provides a larger area clamping flange or rim of the sealing ring than in the forms previously described, and obviates the need for drilling and tapping the socket member for clamp bolts. In addition, shims are not required and the locating structure between the ball'member and thebearing ring is lighter in weight.

Only the portions of the joint 10b that have a construction different from that previously explained with reference to FIGS. 1-3 will be described. It is to be understood that the pressure ring assembly of FIG. 3 can be incorporated in the socket member of the swivel coupling of FIGS. 5-8 in the same manner that it is incorporated in the swivel joint 10:: of FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 6, the swivel coupling 10b is formed as a unit that can be threaded to the associated pipes. Thus the ball member 12b is formed with an externally threaded nipple portion 66, and the socket member 16b is formed with an internally threaded nipple portion 67. Four spanner wrench sockets 68 are formed in the flange 28b of ball member 12b, one socket appearing in the broken away portion of FIG. 5. Another set of four spanner wrench sockets 69 is formed in the nipple portion 67 of socket member 16b. These sockets facilitate screwing the coupling parts to their respective pipes.

As previously mentioned, the mounting for the sealing ring in the swivel coupling 10b is of a different construction from that previously described. The clamping ring 34b is pressed against the rim or flange 30b of the sealmg ring 20b-by a series of jack screws 36b mounted in a jack ring 70." Jack ring 70 is of L-shaped section and has an axially extending circumferential flange 72 that overlies the free end portion of socket member 16b when the parts are-assembled. Axial flange 72 is formed 'with an internal ball race 74 (FIG. 8) and a radial access bore 76 is proyided to admit retaining balls. Integral with axial flange 72 of the jack ring 70is a radial flange 78 that has a series of tapped holes 79 that receive the jack screwsfieb previouslyreferred to. Adjacent the free end of socket'member16b is formed an external 1 ball race 80, which cooperates with internal ball race 74 formed in the jack ring 70 to form an annular race or channel thatreceives a continuous annular series of retainer balls 82 (FIG. 7); h V

In making the assembly just described, the jack screws I which appears at the lower half aha. 6,;1extend through bores 91 formed in flange 28b ofthe ball memher, and are threadedintotapped holes 92'ff ormed' in the retainer ring Thus the' spacer ring 24!) and the I retainer ring 52b remain assembled with the ball joint upon disassembly of the: coupling at bolts 26b) In the swivel joints previously described a shim pack 'tl-wasfitted between the bearing 'ring 44 and'theretainer ring 52 to provide the. proper fit between therassemble'd parts. This requiresassembly, disassembly and reassembly of the'parts for arriving at the desired friction fit between the socket member andithe ballp'me'mber and bearing ring. Although-shims are economical and de- 36b are backed OE and the rim. or flange 39b iof the molded sealingring 26b is placed between the serrated endface-STZb' of the socketfmember 16b and the complementary face 38b of the clamping ring 34b. I'EWiil be noted that the rim or flange b of the-sealing ring 1 overlies the entire extent of the aforesaid complementary clamping faces in this form of the invention. With the jack screws .3617 backed'ofl, the balls 82 canbe fed through the bore 76 in the jack ring until the annular channel formed by the internal and external ball races is filled with balls; The. jack screws arethen uniformly and progressively tightened to firmly clamp the rim or flange 3950f the sealing ring against theserrated endv faceSZb (FIG. 8) of the, socket member lab. During this clamping action the balls82 serve as an annular lock ring. that maintains the jack .ring in axial position against, Once the jack screws the force of the jack screws. have been tightened to remove clearances, the balls cannot fall out of the bore 76 in the jackring. Since the serrated end face 321) of the socket member'andthe end face 38b of the clamping ring 3412 are conical or beveled (FIG. 8), the clamping ring centersitself as the-jack screws. are tightened, so that adequate clearanceis pro vided between the clamping ring and seat 14 of the ball 1 member 1212; a

i After .the 'jack screws are thus set up, and before the socket member 16b is coupled to'the ball member 121),

the heads of the jack s'crews'are wired (the wire is not shown) to maintain the parts in their clamped position; It will be noted that thesocket member 16b requires no. tapped holesfor receiving clamping screws and so has no points of localized weakness; The ball race '80 formed in the socket member is shallow and does not appreciably affect the strength of the part. 7

The couplingring'assembly 22b for coupling the ball and socket rriembersofswivel joint 10b is also" of a mo di'- fied construction, Since the members are threaded to their pipes, the bearing ring 841(FIG. 6). need not" be 5 split, as are the bearing rings 44 of the previously de-' scribed swivel couplings. The plastic bearing member 50 need not be'split either. If desired, however, bearing ring 84 and the plastic bearing can be split, because the bearing ring mounts a: retainer ring 52b with a close slip fit on a shoulder 54 (FIG. 6), as in the other forms;

' In the'swivel joint Itibfspacer ring 24bis provided as before, but in this case the spacer ring" is bent upfrom sheet metalinto a split annulus. One end of thespaceri ring 24b is received in 'a groove 86 formed in flange 2 b of the ball member, and-the other end of the spacer ring is received in a groove 88' formed in the "retainer" ring 525. The'grooves confine the ends of the split sheet metal spacer-ring 24b,.so that the ring acts as a sturdy column withoutbuckling, and the assembly 'islighter:

'in weight than'that previously described.

Another feature of;thecoupling assembly being de- 52b are assembled asa unit with'the ball member 1%,

before these parts are coupled to the bearing ring and hence to the socket member -by bolts 26b. In order to ac complish this, two diametrically opposed bolts 90, one of 'form of nipples. Y Whil e several embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and :described, it will be understood that the coupling means" described hereinis capable of:

pendable in service, thee'ouplingi 10b provides a dependable adjustment that can be made. without requiring assembly and disassembly ofthe' parts. I

Referring \to the upper half of FIG, 6, a seriesof sleeve nuts, 96. is provided," there being onenut for each bolt:2.6b. The sleeve nuts are threaded into tapped.

holes 98 formed in the bearing ring: 8 4 The sleeve nuts have hexagonal heads (FIG. 5) for individual wrench adjustment in the bearing ring 84: T he. sleevenuts form adjustable stops or spacers,- and hence serve the tune tion of shims in the previously described swivel coua comparison'of FIGS. '3 and .6, the-socket member 16b .of FIG. 6 can be grooved'to receive a spring loaded pressure ring such as ring 64 of FIG. 3, without changein the other parts of the coupling. In the appended claims the term to refer tobothlthecoupling of FIG. 1.,wherein a. pipe is welded to the ball or'socket member or to both,'and tothe' couplingof FIG. .6 wherein'thepipes are in the further modification and variation without departing from the principles of the, invention, and the scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope'and' proper interpretationof the claims appended ,heretop V This invention having been 'thus described, that which is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is: I

' 1.,A swivelpipe coupling comprising a pipe terminating ina socket member having spherical internal seat means and aspherical outer retainingface, another pipe terminating in a ball member having a spherical exter-nal seat within socket member, a radial flange/adjacent the junction of said pipe and said'ball member, a pliable sealingring connected to the free end of said-socket V 7'0 scribed is that the spacer rmg 24b and the retainer rmg member'and having a sealing lipin sealing engagement with the external seat of said ball'member, a coupling ring assemblysurrounding said members, said coupling ring assembly comprising a relatively shortbearing ring having'bearing means formed with aspheri'cal' inner face that engages said outer retaining face onthe socket member, said" bearing; ring being formed withian annular,-

axially inner seat that 'faces radially outward, said coupling ring assembly also comprising a retainer ring fitting on said bearing ring seat, said retainer ring having an annular axially inner :spacerseat adjacent its periphery, the radial fiangeon'said ballmember having an annular, axially inner spacer seat aligned .Ewith' said bearing ring spacer seat, :anannular spacerflextendingbetween said retainer'ring andthe radial 'flange 'o'ri said ball member and centered by. said spacer seats,{means for maintaining a preselected axial spacing between said bearing and re a pipe is intended 9 tainer rings and means connecting said coupling ring assembly, including the spacer, with the radial flange on said ball member.

2. The coupling of claim 1, wherein said spacer seats are formed as grooves, said annular spacer being formed of elatively thin sheet metal with its ends seated in said grooves.

3. A swivel pipe coupling comprising a pipe terminating in a socket member having spherical internal seat means and a spherical outer retaining face, a pipe terminating in a ball member having a spherical external seat within said socket member, a radial flange adjacent the junction of said pipe and said ball member, a pliable sealing ring connected to the free end of said socket member and having a sealing lip in sealing engagement with the external seat of said ball member, a coupling ring assembly surrounding said members, said coupling ring assembly comprising a relatively short bearing ring having bearing means formed with a spherical inner face that engages said outer retaining face on the socket member, said bearing ring being formed with an annular, axially inner seat that faces radially outward, said coupling ring assembly also comprising a retainer ring fitting on said bearing ring seat, said retainer ring having an annular, axially inner spacer seat adjacent its periphery, the radial flange on said ball member having an annular, axially inner spacer seat aligned With said bearing ring spacer seat, an annular spacer extending between said retaining ring and the radial flange on said ball member and centered by said spacer seats, said bearing ring being formed with a radial flange that faces said retainer ring,

sleeve nuts threaded into said bearing ring flange and engaging said retainer ring, bolts extending through the radial flange at said ball member and threaded into said retainer ring to independently retain said spacer ring and said retainer ring on said ball member, and bolts extending through the radial flange at said ball member, said retainer ring, and said sleeve nuts for connecting bearing ring to the remainder of said coupling ring assembly and to the radial flange at said ball member.

4. The coupling of claim 3, wherein said spacer seats are formed as grooves, said annular spacerbeing formed of relatively thin sheet metal With its ends seated in said grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 743,511 Huxley Nov. 10, 1903 1,532,195 Morrison Apr. 7, 1925 1,925,406 Shaffer Sept. 5, 1933 1,947,657 Peress Feb. 20, 1934 1,949,055 Lambie Feb. 27, 1934 1,964,044 Engel June 26, 1934 3,033,595 Bard May 8, 1962 3,056,615 Breitenstein Oct. 2, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 651,430 France Oct. 9, 1928 489,884 Germany Jan. 2, 1930 OTHER REFERENCES Golding: Polymers and Resins, copyright 1959 by D. Van Nostrand, Princeton, New Jersey, pages 1823 relied on. 

3. A SWIVEL PIPE COUPLING COMPRISING A PIPE TERMINATING IN A SOCKET MEMBER HAVING SPHERICAL INTERNAL SEAT MEANS AND A SPHERICAL OUTER RETAINING FACE, A PIPE TERMINATING IN A BALL MEMBER HAVING A SPHERICAL EXTERNAL SEAT WITHIN SAID SOCKET MEMBER, A RADIAL FLANGE ADJACENT THE JUNCTION OF SAID PIPE AND SAID BALL MEMBER, A PLIABLE SEALING RING CONNECTED TO THE FREE END OF SAID SOCKET MEMBER AND HAVING A SEALING LIP IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXTERNAL SEAT OF SAID BALL MEMBER, A COUPLING RING ASSEMBLY SURROUNDING SAID MEMBERS, SAID COUPLING RING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RELATIVELY SHORT BEARING RING HAVING BEARING MEANS FORMED WITH A SPHERICAL INNER FACE THAT ENGAGES SAID OUTER RETAINING FACE ON THE SOCKETE MEMBER, SAID BEARING RING BEING FORMED WITH AN ANNULAR, AXIALLY INNER SEAT THAT FACES RADIALLY OUTWARD, SAID COUPLING RING ASSEMBLY ALSO COMPRISING A RETAINER RING FITTING ON SAID BEARING RING SEAT, SAID RETAINER RING HAVING AN ANNULAR, AXIALLY INNER SPACER SEAT ADJACENT ITS PERIPHERY, THE RADIAL FLANGE ON SAID BALL MEMBER HAVING AN ANNULAR, AXIALLY INNER SPACER SEAT ALIGNED WITH SAID BEARING RING SPACER SEAT, AN ANNULAR SPACER EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID RETAINING RING AND THE RADIAL FLANGE ON SAID BALL MEMBER AND CENTERED BY SAID SPACER SEATS, SAID BEARING RING BEING 